Del Taco Expands Base Items and Pitches as "Buck & Under" Menu

Published: 28 April 2013

In a somewhat puzzling move, Del Taco has rolled out what they are calling a "New Buck & Under" menu. The email I received included this ad with what appear to be all the usual items that are already less than a dollar on their menu:

Upon closer inspection, there are some new items which I can only describe as smaller portions of regular items. For 50 cents you can choose between the Mini Cheddar Quesadilla (a shrunken version of their existing cheese quesadilla), a Value Bean & Cheese Burrito (which I think was the kid's burrito before) and a Regular Taco (which is actually a price increase from 49 cents.)

For 75 cents, you can slap bacon on that Mini Quesadilla, try the Jacked Up Value Bean, Rice & Cheese Burrito (Jack cheese), or a Chipotle Beef Taco.

Rounding out the menu, a buck gets you nothing specific. Instead, they say "starting at $1" (sneaky!) and the listed choices are a Grilled Chicken Taco (up from 99 cents), a 1/2 LB Bean and Cheese Burrito (also up from 99 cents), a Double Beef Classic Burrito (I think this was also 99 cents and was previously just called the classic, if I recall correctly). or a couple of beverages: The Real Strawberry Lemonade or a 30oz Iced Tea.

All in all, nothing to get excited about. We always counted on Del Taco to have a good selection of items for under a dollar. I do feel a bit deceived by the subtle 1-cent markup on some of my favorites like the chicken soft taco and the basic taco. But if these are the prices we will live with this year despite the impact of last year's drought then I am happy.